This invention relates to protectors for vehicles. The protector is a sheet of material attached between two vehicles, one of which is towing the other, beneath the towbar connecting the vehicles. One vehicle tows the other. Automobile, truck and the like may tow a trailer, or a motor home may tow an automobile. The protector prevents the prime mover (towing vehicle) rear and the front of the towed vehicle from flying debris thrown up from the road and exhaust fumes from the prime mover.
Applicant is aware of three recent patents, two are related U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,775, issued Nov. 3, 1998 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,022,038, issued Feb. 8, 2000, both to Maxwell, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,587, issued Mar. 6, 2001, to Sage, all of which are made of reference. Both Maxwell patents teach the identical protector extending between vehicles, which may be of any suitable material formed in various ways, connected to both vehicles and arranged in numerous ways. Sage teaches a protector having corner clips, connected by elastic material through edge channels, which are taught but not claimed as forming one continuous strip.
Protectors are a recent development and apart from these patents covering protectors called RV UndeR-Skirt(trademark), applicant is not aware of closely related prior art.
It is a general object of the invention to provide a protector to be connected between a towed vehicle and a towing vehicle to protect both vehicles, tow bar apparatus, wiring harness, and safety cables, and bicycles carried on either vehicle, from material thrown up or splashed from the road, or other surface traversed, which is quadrilateral with opposed substantially parallel ends, so that each end may abut and protect each vehicle, with a peripheral channel through which an endless cable, or cord may be passed. It is a subsidiary object of the invention that the cable or cord be elasticized. It is a further subsidiary object of the invention to provide snaplinks or karabiners (also karabiners, carabiners, or caribiners) to attach to the cable or cord, at the corners of the protector, to the vehicles. It is a further subsidiary object of the invention to have extra end karabiners to attach to the cable or cord at end nearest the towing vehicle. It is a further principal object to provide a support bar to pass over a tow bar connecting two vehicles holding up a protector beneath the tow bar. It is a further subsidiary object of the invention to provide a middle or central loop of cord or cable attached to the middle of the protector to pass the support bar through to support the middle of the protector. It is a further subsidiary object of the invention to provide eyebolts for the vehicles to attach the snaplinks or karabiners to. Other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following specification, statement of invention claimed and accompanying drawings.
In a first broad aspect the invention is directed to a vehicle protector, which has a sheet having a first end to connect to a first towing vehicle and a second end to connect to a second towed vehicle, and opposed sides connecting the ends. The sheet has anchors at the corners thereof, at the first end for the towing vehicle at the second end for the towed vehicle, the first end has two additional anchors at two points on the first end for the towing vehicle. Preferably the sheet has peripheral channels at the edge, and endless first elasticized cable means passing through the channels, which have corner exposures, exposing the first elasticized cable means. Additionally the first towing end of the protector has two median exposures, also exposing the end less first elasticized cable means. These exposures allow karabiner links to engage the endless first elasticized cable means at the corner and median exposure. The protector in use will be beneath a tow bar connecting the vehicles. Preferably karabiner links engage the endless first elasticized cable at corner and median exposures, which allows each karabiner link at the first end of the sheet to engage an eyebolt mounted on the first towing vehicle, and each karabiner link at the second end of the sheet to engage an eyebolt mounted on the second towed vehicle. Preferably the elasticized cable is a bungee cord.
In a second broad aspect the invention is directed to a vehicle protector, having a sheet with a first end to connect to a first towing vehicle and a second end to connect to a second towed vehicle, and opposed sides connecting the ends. The sheet has anchors at the corners thereof, at the first end for the towing vehicle at the second end for the towed vehicle. The sheet also has opposed anchors on the sides thereof to engage a transverse support bar passing above a tow bar connecting the vehicles. Preferably the sheet has peripheral channels at the edge, and endless first elasticized cable means passing through the channels, which have corner exposures, exposing the first elasticized cable means, whereby karabiner links may engage the endless first elasticized cable means at each corner exposure. The protector in use will be beneath a tow bar connecting the vehicles. The opposed side channels have side middle exposures, exposing the first elasticized cable means, whereby terminal hooks of a support bar passing over the tow bar in use may engage the first elasticized cable means at the side middle exposures and support the vehicle protector in use.
In a third broad aspect the invention is directed to a vehicle protector, having a sheet with a first end to connect to a first towing vehicle and a second end to connect to a second towed vehicle, and opposed sides connecting the ends. The sheet has anchors at the corners thereof, at the first end for the towing vehicle at the second end for the towed vehicle. The first end has two additional anchors at two points on the first end for the towing vehicle. Also the sheet has opposed anchors on the sides thereof to engage a transverse support bar passing above a tow bar connecting the vehicles. Preferably the sheet has peripheral channels at the edge, and endless first elasticized cable means passing through the channels, which have corner exposures, exposing the first elasticized cable means. The first towing end of the protector has two median exposures, exposing the first elasticized cable means, whereby karabiner links may engage the endless first elasticized cable means at each corner and median exposure. The protector in use will be beneath a tow bar connecting the vehicles. The opposed sides channels have side middle exposures, exposing the first elasticized cable means, whereby terminal hooks of a support bar passing over the tow bar in use may engage the first elasticized cable means at the side middle exposures and support the vehicle protector in use.
Both second and third aspects of the invention preferably have karabiner links engage the endless first elasticized cable means at the corner (and median, when present) exposures, whereby each karabiner link at the first end of the sheet can engage an eyebolt mounted on the first towing vehicle, and each karabiner link at the second end of the sheet can engage an eyebolt mounted on the second towed vehicle. Preferably the sheet has a grommet in the middle, which secures a loop of third elasticized cable means, above the sheet in use. Stop means secure the ends of the third elasticized cable means, beneath the sheet in use, whereby the support bar may be passed through the loop, supporting the sheet. Preferably the terminal hooks of the support bar engage the first elasticized cable means at the side middle exposures, more preferably the support bar passes through the loop. Preferably a connecting member extends between the terminal hooks of the support bar, whereby the support bar rests ontop and transverse of a tow bar. The support bar may comprise a single tube to receive the terminal hooks. It also may comprise two end tubes and a middle tubular collar, the end tubes receiving the terminal hooks, the middle collar engaging both end tubes. Again it may comprise opposed end tubes and a middle tube, and opposed middle tubular collars, the end tubes receiving the terminal hooks, the middle collars engaging one of the end tubes and the middle tube. Preferably the terminal hooks are received in end tubular joints fitting onto the tubes. The terminal hooks may be connected by a second elasticized cable means. All the elasticized cables may be bungee cords. The support bar may also comprise two tubes, a larger tube sliding telescopically over a smaller tube. Set screw means in the larger tube fixedly engage the smaller tube in relative position. The smaller tube receives one terminal hook, the larger tube receives the other terminal hook. Preferably one terminal hook is received in an end tubular joint fitting onto the smaller tube. When the third elasticized cable means is a bungee cord, then stop means is a bungee ball.
In a fourth broad aspect the invention is directed to a support bar for a vehicle protector. The support bar comprises a connecting member extending between terminal hooks. The support bar may comprise a single tube to receive the terminal hooks. It also may comprise two end tubes and a middle tubular collar, the end tubes receiving the terminal hooks, the middle collar engaging both end tubes. Again it may comprise opposed end tubes and a middle tube, and opposed middle tubular collars, the end tubes receiving the terminal hooks, the middle collars engaging one of the end tubes and the middle tube. Preferably the terminal hooks are received in end tubular joints fitting onto the tubes. The terminal hooks may be connected by a second elasticized cable means. The elasticized cables may be bungee cords. The support bar may also comprise two tubes, a larger tube sliding telescopically over a smaller tube. Set screw means in the larger tube fixedly engage the smaller tube in relative position. The smaller tube receives one terminal hook, the larger tube receives the other terminal hook. Preferably one terminal hook is received in an end tubular joint fitting onto the smaller tube.
In a fifth broad aspect the invention is directed to a kit for a vehicle protector comprising the above described vehicle protector, sufficient karabiners, the above described support bar, and a plurality of eyebolts to attach to the vehicles.